If You Love DIY Projects But Have Trouble Finding Materials, These Tips Will Help!

If you’re a budding DIY enthusiast, you probably know the wild goose chase that comes along with tracking down materials.

While it’s easy to find stuff like card stock, yarn, and everything you could possibly need to scrapbook, coming across materials like wooden pallets and unusual housewares is easier said than done. There’s also the issue of cost. You can snag gorgeous supplies from stores like Michaels and A.C. Moore, but they usually come at a premium.

Fortunately, there are a few tips and tricks floating around out there that’ll take you from crafting newbie to DIY pro in no time! Here’s how to find everything that you’ll need along the way.

1. Pallets

The internet is chock-full of wood pallet projects, but where do you actually get these things? Well, you could order them online, but that costs all of the dollars. Spend no dollars by hitting up local garden, grocery, and hardware stores and asking to take some pallets off their hands. Small businesses are the way to go, since the big guys like Home Depot usually have deals with pallet removal companies, which are actual things. For more details, check this out!

2. Crafting Supplies

Get back in your car. Start it. Pull out of the Michaels parking lot slowly. Sure, chain stores are full of beautiful seas of card stock and scrapbooking paper, but they also like to rob people blind. Instead, take advantage of the internet and buy in bulk from places like Oriental Trading Company, Create for Less, and Blitsy.

3. Gizmos and Gadgets

Certain tech-based projects call for some seriously weird stuff, so if you need to find a few gadgets without spending a ton on eBay, check out your local thrift stores. Places like the Salvation Army are always looking to get rid of old electronics, gaming components, and things like that. Purveyors of vintage gadgets online typically ask for way more than you should pay for something you’re ultimately going to dismantle.

4. Office Supplies

Office Depot typically sells things like binder clips for great prices already, but ask an employee if there’s any way you can buy in bulk! They usually have bulk-buying systems in place since, ya know, they supply entire offices with the stuff. Another great trick is to look for independent supplies stores on Yelp. Feel less than enthused about buying 35,000 paperclips? Don’t sleep on dollar stores! They’re full of cheap crafting treasures.

5. Lumber

Some projects call for sturdier lumber than your go-to wood pallets can provide, so head over to your local hardware store or lumber yard and ask if you can get a discount on trimmed wood. Most people have boards cut to specific lengths for their building needs, which means that unwanted bits of wood accumulate. You can probably get a discount on those discarded trimmings. If employees are feeling particularly generous, they could even throw you a few for free dollars and free cents.

6. Salvaged Housewares

If your next DIY project calls for odd housewares (like this tub chair situation), find a local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. You can get things like bits of crown moulding, sinks, and light fixtures for a great price, and the money you spend goes to a good cause! Boom.

7. Yarn

My gram will be the first to tell you that getting a good deal on yarn is a gift from the gods. This is another instance where local joints are going to be your best friends and Michaels will be your crafting foe. If your town isn’t blessed with the presence of a local yarn shop owned by an adorable group of gals, rely on the internet once again. Sites like Craftsy and Knitpicks (which have the two cutest names ever) will meet all of your fabric-based DIY needs.

8. Old Furniture

Here’s where the Salvation Army may not be your best bet. When it comes to snagging old furniture for your DIY projects, rely on people who are moving. And where do you find those? Well, Craigslist is the best place to start. Because we’re all procrastinators, people practically give stuff away about two days before they pick up their U-Hauls and blow their respective popsicle stands. Apps like Wallapop and Letgo are great for that as well.

So what do you say? Who wants to build me a pallet swing? Because I certainly can’t do it.